Recently, the NDRC is working with relevant departments to accelerate the study and formulation of the Implementation Plan for the Strategy of Expanding Domestic Demand (2026-2030). Moving forward, the NDRC will work with relevant departments to effectively expand China's domestic demand with greater intensity and more concrete measures.

[SMM Magnesium Express]Today, according to the Chizhou Municipal Government, the city has released a three-year action plan for the commercial aerospace industry, outlining plans to leverage the advantages of its magnesium-aluminum lightweight alloy industry. The initiative aims to advance the research and development of high-temperature-resistant, high-strength magnesium-aluminum materials and overcome challenges in semi-solid die casting processes. It also seeks to validate the application of magnesium alloys in satellite structural components and rocket body brackets, while collaborating with universities and research institutes to establish a joint aerospace materials research center. This move is expected to expand the application scenarios of magnesium alloys in the emerging field of commercial aerospace, creating new growth opportunities for the magnesium materials industry.

New-type energy storage projects, once included in the database, shall commence substantive construction within 6 months and achieve grid connection within 12 months. Projects adjusted out of the database and re-entered must have obtained an immovable property ownership certificate and commenced substantive construction, and shall achieve grid connection within 6 months. Any project in the database that fails to commence substantive construction within 6 months or fails to achieve grid connection within 12 months without applying for an extension shall be adjusted out of the database.

[SMM Rare Earth Flash] US rare earth company Energy Fuels is advancing the acquisition of German permanent magnet manufacturer Vacuumschmelze (VAC), aiming to build a Western integrated supply chain covering rare earth mining, separation, metals, alloys, and permanent magnet manufacturing. According to the previously announced transaction plan, Energy Fuels will acquire VAC for approximately $1.9 billion, with the deal still subject to regulatory approvals such as Germany's foreign investment review, and is expected to close in early 2027. The latest news indicates that the German government is exploring setting conditions for the approval of this transaction, potentially including requirements to safeguard local employment in Germany, retain core intellectual property, and maintain European manufacturing capabilities, in order to ensure that key technologies and the industry chain remain in Europe.

SMM Cobalt Morning Briefing: The cobalt industry chain was generally in the doldrums this week. Refined cobalt prices drifted lower, affected by import data exceeding expectations, the demand off-season, and downstream summer breaks. Sellers and buyers of cobalt intermediate products had a wide psychological price spread, making it difficult to advance transactions, and prices remained temporarily stable. Market inquiries and transactions for cobalt sulphate, cobalt chloride, and Co3O4 were sluggish, with downstream users mainly pushing for lower prices and making just-in-time procurement. Cobalt powder prices continued to hit bottom, while cobalt carbonate was also under pressure.

SMM, July 21 – To deepen industry exchanges, smooth information channels, and accurately grasp development trends and market dynamics in the zinc and indium sectors, on July 21, a team from SMM Information & Technology Co., Ltd. (SMM) — including Geng Zhiyao, Senior Analyst for Copper, Lead and Zinc; Li Hanyu, Senior Zinc Analyst; and Dai Junxiu, Senior Business Manager — visited Yunnan Tin Wenshan Zinc Indium Smelting Co., Ltd. for an exchange and was warmly received by relevant leaders of the company. During the exchange, the two parties had in-depth discussions on core industry topics, such as current zinc and indium price trends, the enterprise’s comprehensive recovery technologies for zinc and indium metals, existing production and processing capacity, and the regional layout of new mine capacity. Meanwhile, the SMM team introduced in detail the platform’s existing pricing system, pricing logic, and mainstream market application scenarios, conducted in-depth exchanges with the enterprise on industry pricing standards and market quotation applications, fully listened to frontline production and market demands, and further broke down information barriers between upstream and downstream. This visit effectively consolidated the foundation for information sharing across the industry and provided strong support for accurately assessing zinc and indium market trends and promoting the green, high-quality, and standardized development of the industry. Profile of Yunnan Tin Wenshan Zinc Indium Smelting Co., Ltd. Yunnan Tin Wenshan Zinc Indium Smelting Co., Ltd. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Yunnan Tin Co., Ltd. Established in May 2016 with a registered capital of 1.1 billion yuan and 843 registered employees, it is a state-owned enterprise integrating production, R&D, and trade, mainly engaged in the smelting, processing, sales, and trading of non-ferrous metals and ore products. After six years of independent process and equipment R&D, the company overcame the industrialization challenges of hematite technology and equipment. In 2018, it invested 2.44 billion yuan to build China’s first and the world’s second demonstration plant for hematite iron removal hydrometallurgical zinc smelting. The plant reached full production and standards within one year, with core indicators leading the industry: zinc recovery rate >98%, indium recovery rate >83%, copper recovery rate >95%, lead and silver recovery rate >99%, iron resource utilization rate >95%, comprehensive energy consumption for zinc electrowinning 99.96%, and tail gas SO 2 <60 mg/Nm 3 . Leveraging its technological and green development strengths, the company has received more than 30 honors, including national-level “Quality Engineering” award, national-level specialized and sophisticated key “Little Giant” enterprise, national-level green factory, and high-tech enterprise. It holds 42 authorized patents (including 21 invention patents), and three of its core technologies have won the First Prize of China Nonferrous Metals Industry Science and Technology Award. The “New Green and Efficient Zinc Smelting Technology for Complex Polymetallic Iron-bearing Sphalerite” and the “Hematite Process for Iron Removal and Zinc Smelting” have been respectively listed by the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), and other authorities in the industry carbon peak action plan and energy-saving and carbon-reduction guide, and are promoted as key advanced technologies. SMM Contact: Geng Zhiyao Tel: 13818541149